| Kalapa Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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  Kalapa | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°27′09″S 150°12′18″E / 23.4525°S 150.205°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 86 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.532/km2 (1.377/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4702 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 161.8 km2 (62.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Rockhampton Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Mirani | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Kalapa is a rural locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Kalapa had a population of 86 people.[1]
Originally known as Woodend, the name was officially changed to Kalapa in 1923 to avoid confusion with other communities of the same name such as Woodend.[3][4]
Woodend State School opened on 8 June 1915 after local property owner Benjamin Dallow donated two acres of land to the education department for the purpose of erecting a new primary school.[5] The opening was celebrated with a picnic on the banks of Neerkol Creek and an evening dance at the new school where an official ceremony was also held during which Dallow declared the school open.[5] Some improvements were implemented following the initial opening, including raising the school onto stumps and boarding up unenclosed sides.[6] The school was then officially opened by Herbert Hardacre in February 1917.[7]
In 1934 it was renamed Kalapa State School in line with the community's name change a decade earlier.[8]
Kalapa State School closed on 13 December 1996.[8][9] The school was at 22 Kalapa Black Mountain Road (23°30′38″S 150°16′06″E / 23.5105°S 150.2682°E).[10] Following the school's closure, the building was donated and relocated to the Rockhampton Heritage Village township museum at Parkhurst where it has been preserved as a typical Australian country school of the 20th century.[11] In 2015, the school's centenary was celebrated at Kalapa which included opening a time capsule which had been buried at the school's 75th anniversary in 1990.[12]
In 2013, Australia's first farm-born, hand-cloned cow was born on a local Kalapa cattle property which attracted considerable interest from the scientific community and agricultural industry.[13][14][15][16] The calf, named "Eve", was cloned from a prize Australian Brangus cow which had been purchased for $20,000.[15] It was born on Oaklands Brangus Stud during the 2013 floods which were caused by ex-Cyclone Oswald.[14] Australian reproductive specialists described the event as significant as it was believed to have been the first time a successful handmade cloning had been achieved using a somatic cell nuclear transfer outside a laboratory setting.[14]
In the 2016 census, Kalapa had a population of 86 people.[1]
Kalapa is served by the Kalapa & District Fire Brigade. The brigade, made up of volunteer firefighters from the local community, was established in 1956.[17] It celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015 when it had 36 active members.[17] In 2019, that number had grown to 55 active members, aged between 17 and 70.[18]
The Kalapa Hall and Sports Committee manage the local community hall situated at 16 Kalapa-Black Mountain Road, where various local events, activities and functions are held including the annual Kalapa Horse Sports days.[19] Repairs to the building and the surrounding grounds had to be undertaken following the major 2013 floods caused by ex-Cyclone Oswald which severely impacted the community of Kalapa.[20] In 2019, a chair lift was installed to improve access to the hall for people with mobility issues.[21] The Kalapa branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association regularly meets at the hall.[22]
